St. John’s Celebrates Eight Alumnae at Annual Women of St. John’s Luncheon

St. John’s University paid tribute to an extraordinary group of alumnae whose pioneering spirit made them leaders in their fields and helped to define what it means to be among the “Women of St. John’s.”

The fourth annual Celebrating the Women of St. John’s University luncheon, held on March 29 and sponsored by the Office of Alumni Relations, honored seven alumnae with Women’s Achiever Awards. An eighth alumna—Catherine Camera ’65CBA —was honored posthumously with the Alumnae Lifetime Achievement Award. Ms. Camera, who died in 2023, was Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development, Office of Alumni Relations, and was the 2015 recipient of the President’s Medal for her commitment to the Vincentian mission of compassion and care for others.       

Ms. Camera, who met her husband of 56 years, Dominic Camera, while a student at St. John’s, was represented by her sons Christian and Jonathan, who spoke of the role the University played in her life. “Meeting my father there, of course, and all the success she had in her life, tie back to St. John’s University and the Queens, NY, campus,” Jonathan Camera said.

The luncheon drew nearly 350 people to the catering hall Terrace on the Park. The Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John’s, acknowledged March as Women’s History Month, adding that “women are the future of St. John’s, and our future is in good hands.”

“Part of how we teach our young people to live lives of distinction, meaning, and purpose is to give them examples of people who have done that in their lives,” Fr. Shanley continued. “Today, we celebrate women of St. John’s who have lived exemplary lives and brought such honor to our University.”     

In addition to Ms. Camera’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2025 Women’s Achiever recipients were

• Amanda Belgrave ’21TCB, ’22MBA, former St. John’s track star, now Assistant Vice President, Lloyds Bank
• Linda DaSilva, R.Ph. ’81P, Vice President, Sales Executive, Deloitte LLP
• Stephanie Debes ’17CPS, Founder and Chief Executive, The Makeup on Wheels Foundation, Inc.
• Joan Pauline Dobis ’66NDC, retired Coordinator of Social Studies, New York City Board of Education
• Hon. Cassandra Johnson ’03C, ’06L, Judge, Eleventh Judicial District, Queens County Surrogate’s Court
• Patricia Mulé ’78CBA, retired tax Director, Bertelsmann, Inc.
• Lisa Paolo ’89Ed, ’91GEd, Owner and Principal, Paolo Prep Academy     

The eight honorees represent all six of the University’s Schools and Colleges,  and Notre Dame College and the former Staten Island, NY, campus. Joanne Persico ’93MBA, ’09PD, Coach of the St. John’s Women’s Volleyball team and the longest-tenured female coach in the history of St. John’s athletics, served as master of ceremonies and introduced keynote speaker Stacie N.C. Grant ’92C. The event raised more than $1,000 for student scholarships.

Dr. Grant, a Queens resident, is the Founder and Chief Executive of Destiny Designers University, a training and development platform for faith-based entrepreneurs. She is also the International President of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and a 2016 recipient of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service presented by former President Barack Obama. She received an honorary doctorate in 2014 from Global Oved Dei Seminary and University.

“Today, we celebrate achievers,” Dr. Grant said. “Achievers who were not asking for recognition, achievers who understood that when they entered the halls of St. John’s University, they were embracing St. Vincent de Paul’s mission to give back, and to know that everything we have been given is to be shared with others.”

The festive crowd lauded each honoree with applause, but a special note of appreciation rang out for Ms. Debes. Born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy that limits her mobility, she graduated from St. John’s with a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. 

Ms. Debes later became a New York State-licensed esthetician, special-effects makeup artist, and a disabilities awareness advocate. At age 25, she established The Makeup on Wheels Foundation in her native Staten Island, which provides traditional mobile beauty services and supports disability services programs across the borough. In 2024, she received a 20 Under 40 business leadership award from the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, the borough’s leading business development group. 

“I’m very honored,” Ms. Debes, 30, said. “I turned what I learned at St. John’s into what I have now, particularly to always speak from the heart. When you need to get funding, it is particularly important to remember that you are not creating a relationship to secure money, but you are creating a relationship where people can come to you for something, too. One hand should always wash the other. That is how you grow as a business and as a person.”   

The life stories of all eight honorees inspired the hundreds in attendance. Earlier this year, Judge Johnson became the first Black woman sworn in to serve as Queens Surrogate’s Court Judge. Ms. Belgrave, a triple-jumper at St. John’s, has enjoyed a quick ascendancy at Lloyds Bank, where she supports the bank’s strategic initiatives and financial performance.

Ms. DaSilva has enjoyed a four-decade career in the pharmaceutical industry, beginning as a pharmacist and transitioning later into management consulting, where she established a reputation as an advocate for women’s health and leadership.

Ms. Dobis is a former President of the Notre Dame College Alumnae Association  and has served as an educator for more than 40 years. Ms. Mulé enjoyed a four-decade career in the publishing industry and now serves on the Ladies of Charity executive board at St. John’s. She sits on the boards of several nonprofits, including on the Board of Directors of St. John’s Preparatory School.     

In 1997, Ms. Paolo became the youngest principal appointed by the New York City Board of Education. She later established the Paolo Prep Academy, an independent and accredited private school in Hypoluxo, FL. She is also a student adviser at Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL.   

Corporate supporters included CVS Health, FourLeaf Federal Credit Union (formerly Bethpage Federal Credit Union), Glow Loft NYC, Gohagan & Company, the Ladies of the Charity USA, Marriott New York LaGuardia Airport, Maspeth Federal Savings, and NYX Professional Makeup.

Donate to the scholarship fund.